Rosary assemblage



p 1953 s. J. CZERWICZNIK 2,651,850

ROSARY ASSEMBLAGE Filed June 28, 1951 IN V EN. TOR.

,4 rro/en fys.

Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROSARY ASSEMBLAGE Stanley J2 Czerwiczn'ik, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June=28; 1951, Serial No. 234,118

3 Claims.

1 The present invention. relates generally to? improvements in rosary assemblages, and relates more specifically to improvements in the con-- struction of a unit for compactly confining an.

ordinary string of rosary beads and the usual crucifix within a guiding housing or runway.

As is well known, the ordinary rosary comprises a series of Hail. Mary and Our Fathers beads and a crucifix all separated by smaller spacing beads, and all of which are flexibly united or mounted upon a flexible cord in order to facilitate use of the rosary in saying prayers. When these flexible elongated rosary chains are not suspended about the neck. of a wearer, and are carried in crumpled. or collapsed condition in a pocket or purse, they frequently become entangled and difficult to spreadfor'normal use. While it has heretofore been attempted to obviate thisdifiiculty by providing so-called mechanical rosary units comprising wheels and other mechanism for compactly confining: abbreviatecltypes of bead assemblages, these devices have not proven popular with the public: for numerous reasons but primarily because of their complexity andthe fact that they did not embody standard chains including all of the usual beadsv and a crucifix arranged in succession thus. making.

them difficult fora novice to manipulate.

It is therefore a primary object of my present invention to provide a simple and compact rosary assemblage wherein a suitable rosary chain is guided for predetermined longitudinal movement along a definite closed path, so as tomake the successive elements ofthe chain convenient-- l'y slidable past a prayer station.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a durable and attractive rosary unit comprising a housing having a suitable complete rosary bead chain slidably confined therein for movement along a circuitous path so as to positively eliminate possible entanglement of the chain.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved assemblage for protectively housing a chain of beads or the like withiri' a sturdy and compact casing adapted to be readily carried in a pocket or purse,. and wherein the elements or. the chain may be easily thumbed past a definite zone in predetermined order.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a readily manipulable and foolproof rosary unit which embodies an ordinary flexible chain of prayer beads and other elements and which may be manufactured and sold at moderate cost for use by novices.

These andother more specific objects and advantages of the present invention will be" apparent: from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the features constituting my present improvement, and of the construc tion andv mode of using several typical embodi-- mentsof. the invention, may be had by referring tothe drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification and wherein like reference'characters designate the same or similar parts in the. various views.

Fig; l is a part sectional plan- View of an improved heart-sha-ped rosary assemblage embodying. a beaded rosary chain housed within a two part casing, the section: having been taken aiong the normally cemented central parting plane of the casing parts Fig. 2 is" a side elevation of the rosary assemblage shown in Fig; 1, looking toward the rosary chain manipulating opening thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section through the same: assemblage, the section having been taken along the line 330f Fig. l; and

Fig; 4 is a similarly enlarged-transverse section through a modified rosary assemblage wherein the chain confining casing is formed of a single continuous circuitous. tube;

The gist of my present. invention is the provisionof a rosary assemblage comprising the combination of" a suitable beaded. rosary chain including the usual crucifix. and a rigid runway for guiding the chain for longitudinal sliding movement along a definite path; and;v while the present-embodimentsshow the runway housed within a casing of a particular shape, it is not my desire or intent to unnecessarily restrict the utility of the improvement by virtue of this limited showing. Itis also contemplated that specific descriptive" terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3' inclusive of the drawing, the improved rosary assemblage disclosed therein, comprises in general, amain heartshaped. casing having two similar but reversely disposed coact'ing' sections or parts 6 providing a continuous and circuitousrigid runway I having arr outer portionand a loop disposed within the outer portion, the latter being provided with an access opening 8; and a flexible continuous rosary chain having a succession of large beads 9, small spacers l0, and a crucifix II confined for sliding movement along a definite closed path defined by the runway I.

The casing sections or parts 6 may be formed of light metal, plastic, wood, paper board, or any other suitable rigid material, and may be united as b welding, gluing or cementing along the plane surfaces l3 of coaction thereof so as to conceal the path defined by the runways 1 except for the opening 8. In this embodiment of the invention, the plane outer walls ll of the casing may also be attractively coated and decorated with religious pictures or the like, so as to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the rosary unit, and the circuitous path defined by the runways 1 should preferably be longitudinally smooth and provided with curves or bends l5 of maximum radius in order to insure free sliding of the heads 9 therealong.

The ordinary elongated rosary chain may have the successive elements thereof fiexibly united in any suitable manner as by a central wire or cord 11 or by connecting hinge links, and the larger beads 9 are adapted to ride freely upon and are guided by the smooth runway 1, while the smaller beads I0 merely act as proper spacers for the larger Hail Mary and Our Fathers beads. The crucifix II is preferably formed of several relatively articulable tubular sections so as to permit the same to glide freely around the curved bends l5, and the casing opening 8 should also be of sufficient length to permit convenient advancement of the rosary chain with the aid of the operators thumb b steps sufficient to properly present the successive elements thereof.

The rosary chain may either be inserted within the runway 1 before the casing parts 6 are assembled, or through the opening 8 after assembly of the casing has been effected, and after the unit has been completed the rosary chain may be advanced along the rigid runway 1 and past the opening 8 by merely applying slight longitudinal thumb pressure against the successive large beads 9. The device is thus always ready for use and is manipulable in the dark if desired, and the elongated chain is constantly concealed and protected and cannot tangle or become displaced from its predetermined path defined by the rigid runway 1.

If so desired, the casing and runway may be formed in different ways, and as shown in Fig. 4, the runway 1 is formed in a continuous rigid tube l9 having a manipulating opening 8' therein. This tube 19 may also be formed of light metal or plastic and bent into its circuitous form, and the rosary chain may be slipped longitudinally into the runway 1' through the opening 8' after the tube l9 has been made continuous. When thus applied, the rosary chain cord or wire l1 may be parted near the crucifix H until the entire chain has been inserted, after which the ends of the chain may be united through the access opening 8'. The normal operation of the modified structure will thereafter be the same as that above described, and this modified device may also be attractively coated and decorated to enhance its aesthetic appearance.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that the present invention in fact provides a simple and compact rosary assemblage in which a beaded rosary and crucifix chain may be neatly slidably confined within a rigid V- shaped runway 1 while permitting convenient and effective manipulation of the rosary at all times without the aid of complicated and unreliable mechanisms. Any suitable type of rosary chain may be utilized in the assemblage without material alteration thereof, and the rigid chain housing and guiding runway 1 may be formed in any desired manner of any suitable material, but should be formed with smooth surfaces and with relatively large bends I3 in order to eliminate undesirable sticking and to permit the chain to be advanced with minimum effort.

The improved assemblage may be formed or light and thin material of great strength in order to reduce the units to minimum size while maintaining durability thereof, and may be manufactured and sold at moderate cost in view of the absence of complicated mechanical parts. They may also be readily manipulated by any individual familiar with the use of standard chain rosaries, and the invention has proven highly satisfactory in actual use. It is also noteworthy that the V-shaped runway constantly centralize-s the chain so that the crucifix cannot engage the sides of the runway.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use of the rosary assemblages herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

- I claim:

1. In combination, a rigid casing having therein a substantially U-shaped outer groove section provided with an access opening and an inner loop section coacting with the ends of said U-shaped section to provide a circuitous runway, and a continuous rosary chain snugly engaging said runway and being slidable along said groove by application of pressure longitudinally against the chain through said access opening.

2. In combination, a rigid casing having therein a circuitous runway comprising an outer arcuate groove section provided with an access opening and an inner loop section coacting with the opposite ends of said outer section, and a continuous rosary chain snugly engaging and being slidable along said groove section by application of pressure longitudinally against the chain through said access opening.

3. In combination, a casing having therein a fixed circuitous runway comprising a loop section disposed within and coacting with the opposite ends of an outer groove section provided with an access opening, and a continuous rosary chain snugly engaging and being slidable along said runway by application of pressure longitudinally against the chain through said access opening.

STANLEY J. CZERWICZNIK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

